Snowed In
by VagabondSix
Summary: Cynthia brings her friends to visit Red on top of Mount Silver when a snowstorm strikes! Poor Red. How's she gonna deal with so many people invading her personal space? Fem!Red PTSD!/SocialAnxietyDisorder!Red. Femslash. New poll relating vaguely to this story on profile.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Pokemon or any affiliated characters/ technology.**

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The ebony haired youth sat comfortably in a place any normal person would never dream of resting. Legs dangling over the edge of the jagged black cliffs, she pulled her red jacket tighter around her to protect her from the blistering snowy winds and leaned back against her Charizard, reaching up to stroke his snout affectionately. He growled out in pleasure huffing out a puff of warm smoke. They sat in perfect silence and stillness, enjoying their view of the sun disappearing over the forest down below them. As the sun disappeared, the temperature dropped several more degrees and the girl began to stand, shivering now. Stretching, she spoke to her draconic companion. "Time to head in, Cam," she mumbled in a voice husky from disuse. He hummed back in agreement, shaking his wings and standing as well.

The girl and dragon strolled up the steep slope of Mount Silver as if they were walking on the flattest of fields. They came across the occasional Pidgeot and Ursaring as they traveled but a steely glare from the charizard discouraged any unwarranted attacks.

Within half an hour the two reached the entrance to their home, a crevice obscured by icy sheets and large rocks. They slipped through it and walked into their cave. It was a decently sized place, tall and wide enough to comfortably hold twelve more Charizards of Cameron's rather overly large size, with a firepit in the middle that kept the place warm enough despite the howling winds and chilling temperatures of Mount Silver. Shelves covered with hundreds of books lined one of the walls and several trunks filled with a variety of berries, vegetables, and other kinds of foods and supplies were pressed against another. A large pile of blankets, apparently flame retardant with how close they were to the fire, served as a bed for the two.

A yellow mouse-like creature with a lightning bolt shaped tail popped up from beneath the pile of blankets. He hopped over to the girl, cooing affectionately, and nuzzled against her legs. "Hey, 'Nir," she greeted him, peeling off her jacket and hat and shaking the snow out of her hair. The dragon, hummed a hello as well before he plopped down next to the fire, allowing the snow to melt off his back and warm his scales. The youth picked up the Pikachu, set it on her shoulder, and walked over to one of the trunks pulling out several rawst berries and some dried meat before joining her other companion by the fire. The three relaxed, comfortably enjoying their small meal while watching some cartoon on the small screen of her pokegear.

At the climax of the show, wherein the main character turned into a large humanoid monster to fight the other equally large monsters eating his friends, the pokegear's screen blinked to an incoming call screen with a picture of a young woman with long blonde hair standing next to a blue dragon pokemon with a yellow star on its snout. It read, "Cynthia." Two sets of garnet eyes, one belonging to the Charizard and the other to his trainer, exchanged a look before the girl answered it.

"…Hello?"

"Red!?" cried the voice on the other end of the line. The girl, Red, and the Charizard, Cameron, pulled away from the pokegear for a moment, wincing at the volume. The Pikachu, Mjolnir, awoke from his nap, blinking at the noise.

"Cynthia? No need to shout. What's up?"

"I'm on Mount Silver! But, I can't seem to find the cave…"

"…This is why I told you to tell me when you wanted to visit. There's going to be a snowstorm tonight."

Another voice echoed from Cynthia's end. "Tell your friend this isn't the time for a lecture, Cynthia! It's freezing out here!"

"Shh!" Cynthia hissed back. Then, "Red?"

"…"

"Red? You still there?"

"…Who was that?"

"Uh, who was what, Red? You must be hearing things. There's only me and Dune here."

"Uh-huh. That didn't sound like Dune. Pokemon don't speak in words."

"…heh heh?"

"_Cynthia."_

"…I just wanted to introduce you to some friends. You should really make more friends, Red. Maybe it would help."

"It won't, Cynthia."

Another foreign voice, different from the first, called out coolly, "Sorry to interrupt, but, it's freezing out here. Could you two maybe wait 'til we get wherever it is we're going?"

Red sighed. She couldn't just leave them out there to freeze. "Me and Cam'll come to get you, hold on." The trainer and dragon stood and peered out of the cave and out into the rapidly deteriorating visible surface of Mount Silver. She spoke into her pokegear again. "Have Dune use flamethrower or something. Up in the air, so we can see you."

A bright pillar of red flame appeared not 300 meters away. "'Kay, I see you, we're on our way," Red said. She hung up and, not bothering to put on her coat, ventured into the snow with her charizard on her heels.

In less than two minutes, Red and Cameron found Cynthia and four other women and their Pokémon huddled in together in the midst of the snowstorm. She cleared her throat to get their attention. Speaking directly to Cynthia with a sickly sweet tone, she said, "And this is why we always ask Red if it's okay to visit before just climbing Mount Silver," She rolled her eyes. "Follow me." She turned around and led the group back to her cave.

When everyone was safely inside, Red looked back outside at the worsening blizzard and said, "Doesn't seem like the storm'll blow over for another day or two, so it looks like you guys'll have to stay here until then." She turned to look in their direction avoiding eye contact. "Is everyone alright? Pokémon as well?" The woman with the short blonde hair spoke up and Red recognized her as the second voice. "Yes. We're all fine. Thank you."

Red was starting to feel uncomfortable. The four strangers were staring at her while Cynthia was guiltily avoiding eye contact. "…Good," was all she could bring herself to say before she turned around facing her charizard. She found it easier to address the interlopers if she wasn't looking directly at them. "Well, um, you can borrow some blankets from that pile there and there should be plenty of food to go around. Hopefully." She busied herself with brushing snow off of Cameron's wings as she spoke. She sent the dragon and mouse to another cavern in the back of the cave, asking him to fetch some more food. They went and Cynthia followed them. "You can let your Pokémon out, too, I think, the cave's probably big enough…"

"Ah, thanks!" chirped a cheerful voice that sounded _way too close _for Red's comfort. She whirled around in surprise and came face to face with a cheerful smile of a red head wearing a blue flight suit. Red's eyes widened at this, screaming internally. Communicating with strangers wasn't really her strong suit and being in such close proximity to one made her anxious, especially without Cameron nearby. "Do you have any aspear berries? I think my swanna has a little bit of frost bite."

Red couldn't respond, she was too busy panicking. The other women noticed her silence and approached as well with faces full of concern. This, of course, didn't help to soothe the red-eyed trainer and she attempted to back away, now on the verge of hyperventilating. _Too close, too close, too close! _

The one dressed in light pink with long wavy, dirty blonde hair reached out, gently wrapping her manicured hands around Red's arm, halting her escape attempt. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Red, now having a panic attack, saw not Cynthia's four friends looking at her with worried expressions, but the leering faces of Team Rocket grunts grinning maliciously down at her. She promptly fainted.

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**So, the backstory here is that Red, from Pokemon Red, is a girl and, as this takes place a bit further in the future from the events of Pokemon Red, she's somewhere between 17-19 years old. I would assume taking down an entire criminal organization as a ten year old with only your Pokemon as support would be mentally/ emotionally damaging for a ten year old. Therefore, in this story, it left her with a crippling fear of strangers, especially in groups and crowds, and being in such situations without her pokemon or someone she trusts nearby leads to panic attacks. This is my reasoning as to why Red stays secluded on Mount Silver. This story takes place during winter and Red has sent her pokemon other than her charizard (Cameron) and pikachu (Mjolnir) to stay with Professor Oak as winter is the most dangerous season on the mountain. ****Cynthia challenged Red to a battle years ago which Red won and they became friends soon after, both occasionally visiting the other. Cynthia's four friends are Elesa, Skyla, Caitlin, and Shauntal, all of which visit her in gen V.**


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: I made a small edit to the previous chapter. You don't really have to read it. Just know that Red's Pikachu is in the story. He's introduced in Chapter 1 now and his name is Mjolnir.**

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Red woke to a light shock on the tip of her nose and a pounding headache. _Ow, _she thought. Her eyes fluttered open and she caught sight of a bright yellow blur.

"Chu!" Mjolnir exclaimed and happily nuzzled her nose again. _**Are you okay, now?**_

She sat up slowly, running a hand through her thick black mane with eyes clenched shut. "Wha' happ'nd?" she slurred painfully. She felt a warm hand on her forehead carefully push her bangs away and Mjolnir hop out of her lap. She blinked and found herself staring into Cynthia storm grey eyes. The blonde breathed a sigh of relief. Before she could ask what happened, Red found herself pulled into a tight hug by the Sinnoh champion. "Sorry, Red."

Red, her face pushed into the Cynthia's chest and suffering from a massive migraine could only manage a muffled, disoriented, "Huh?"

"You had a panic attack and passed out." Cynthia began to run her fingers through her hair. Red flinched in surprise but otherwise didn't protest.

"Ah."

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking clearly. I should have told them."

Red sighed and pulled away a bit. "'S'fine. No point in getting too upset over it now," she murmured. She noticed that the other four women weren't anywhere visible. Mjolnir wriggled his head under her hand with a squeak, begging to be pet. She pulled him into her lap.

"They're in the bath cavern with Cameron and Dune," Cynthia replied, pausing when she noticed what Red was doing. The younger trainer, with her obsidian hair ruffled and jacket hanging off one shoulder, was cuddling her Pikachu, hugging him close, rubbing cheeks, and bumping noses with him as he cooed happily. _Cute… _the blonde thought. She shook her head. "I, uh, explained why you fainted and told them you'd be okay once you woke up. Elesa doesn't really climb much and wanted to take a bath so I showed them where and asked Cameron to warm it up. Is that okay?"

Red looked back at Cynthia. "Yeah." She blinked. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well… I know you don't really like-" Red cut her off.

"I don't _like _a lot of things. You guys'll be stuck here for a few days at the least. You'd have to take a bath at some point and I'm not going to send them outside to a stream in a _blizzard _or something when they could bathe where it's warm." She raised an eyebrow. "I'm not unreasonable, Cyn."

The blonde gave a pout. "Where was that hospitality when _I _met you?"

"It was warmer."

"Barely!"

The corner of Red's mouth lifted into a half-grin. "And you _barely _avoided frostbite."

"That's not nice!"

"I'm not nice."

"Hmph!" Cynthia scowled.

"Heh," Red leaned forward and bumped noses with Cynthia, much like she had done with Mjolnir earlier. Cynthia's cheeks flushed pink.

"Awwww!" a voice cooed. "That's adorable!"

Both Cynthia and Red started. The four other females, now wrapped in some of Red's many towels, had just walked into the main cavern followed by Cynthia's Garchomp, Dune, and Red's Charizard, Cameron. The two dragons shot their trainers amused looks before ambling lazily over to the fire pit. The red haired trainer, the one who had called out, had her hands pressed to her cheeks with eyes twinkling. The pretty, cool blonde behind her shook her head at her friend's antics. The other two the doll like girl and the bookish dark-haired one gave charming smiles. Cynthia's blush deepened and Red, suddenly feeling incredibly uncomfortable, reverted to her stoic persona and diverted her gaze, hiding her face partially behind her Pikachu, now perched on her shoulder.

The red-head undiscouraged, bounced closer to the two. "Hi!" she chirped, holding out her hand for Red to shake. "My name's Skyla! Sorry for freaking you out earlier!"

The quiet trainer blinked unsurely. After a second's hesitation, she steeled herself and took Skyla's hand. The flying-type gym leader grinned jovially. "Um," Red began, her voice soft. "I'm.."

"Red. We know. " It was the doll-like woman. The other three had decided to approach as well. "Cynthia's told us a lot about you. She was really excited to see you, in fact. She practically pushed us all the way up the mountain."

"Caitlin!" Cynthia protested, her face now an alarming shade of red.

"It's true. She wouldn't shut up, actually." The other blonde this time. Red noticed Mjolnir was taking an interest in her.

"Elesa!"

Elesa snickered. "Cynthia!" she mocked.

"Pika-pikachu!" chirped Mjolnir, he leapt towards the electric gym leader, landing easily on her shoulder. He sniffed at her as Red was left feeling slightly exposed without him. Elesa was surprised but smiled as he gave her a light, friendly jolt in greeting. She rubbed his ears and he sighed and leaned into her touch. "Who's this cute little, guy?" she asked as the electric mouse cooed in pleasure.

"A-ah, um," stuttered Red. "That's Mjolnir. I don't know why he did that, he normally sticks near me. S-sorry, is he bothering you?"

"Oh, no," Elesa smiled reassuringly. "He's fine. He's a Pikachu, right?" Red nodded. "I'm the electric gym leader in Unova. A lot of electric types are drawn to me."

"Okay," said Red. She offered a tiny smile. She remembered Lieutenant Surge saying something like that when she first met him, although Elesa seemed a lot more pleasant than him. She faced the last of Cynthia's friends. The one with glasses hadn't introduced herself yet. Instead, she seemed content to observe her from next to the one named Caitlin. "And, you are?"

The other woman pushed adjusted her glasses, "'Each meeting occurs at the precise moment for which it was meant. Usually, when it will have the greatest impact on our lives,'" she quoted. Red blinked, not sure of how to respond to that. "Shauntal. It's a pleasure to meet you, Red."

Caitlin rolled her eyes. "You were spending all this time thinking up a book quote, weren't you," she accused.

"I was not!"

"I'm sure."

And with that, the two elite four members were arguing and the two gym leaders seemed to have gotten into a cuddling frenzy with Mjolnir. Red glanced at Cynthia who was standing a little bit behind her. _She has such weird friends, _she thought_. _It was then that she noticed that the four females were all still wearing towels.

"Ah, um," she tried getting their attention, but to no avail. She bit her lower lip, distressed. Cynthia was the only one who noticed and called out to her friends.

"Hey, guys!" The other four trainers turned to face them suddenly and the Pokemon master flinched. The Sinnoh champion placed a hand on her lower back and pushed her forward encouragingly.

Red forced herself to speak, saying, "Um, do you all have clothes to change into?" There was a chorus of affirmatives. "Do you want to change now, then?" _That sounded weird! _"Ah, um, I mean, I won't look or anything! It'll get really cold in just those towels though, and I-!"

Skyla chimed in. "No worries! We're just waiting for our hair to dry. But, you're right it is getting kind of chilly…"

Red held back a sigh of relief. "Oh, okay. Just a second then." The red-eyed young woman turned towards the fire pit. "Cam!" she called. The oversized Charizard was at her side within seconds, pressing his snout to her face. The Unova natives stared in awe as the towering, orange dragon that seemed so grumpy when he was heating the spring happily nuzzled his trainer like a Lilipup. _**Red. I see you're feeling better. You needed me? **_The dark haired girl gently pushed his face away, smiling. "I'm good. Thanks for heating the bath, by the way." _**You're welcome. Do you need me to heat it again for your own bath? **_ "Later, but for now," she gave him a command, pointing in her guests' direction. "Use Heat Wave, minimum strength, please!"

He rumbled back at her, before beating his wings and roaring warm gusts of wind at the towel-clad women. "Thanks, buddy!" she hummed. The entire cave was now comfortably warm and Elesa, Caitlin, Shauntal, and Skyla found their hair freshly blow-dried. Cameron purred at her before ambling back to the fire and Dune, Mjolnir bounding off to join them.

Red turned and faced her guests. "Is that better? It'll cool back down eventually, but, it should last for a while…"

They stared at her open mouthed. Charizards were known to be rather disobedient and wild, even when owned by the greatest and most wizened of trainers. They were mostly used for their power on teams and were allowed to use moves as they saw fit in battle, never for precision maneuvers or attacks. This girl who couldn't have been twenty, had just commanded one that was easily six times the size of a regular Charizard down to the intensity of his attack and he seemed as docile as a Ralts and even more affectionate than her Pikachu. She even seemed to be able to actually _talk _to her Pokemon. Cynthia had told them she was a skilled trainer, but they assumed she was exaggerating. The long haired blonde smirked at them as if to say 'I told you so.'

Elesa found her voice first.

"Can I battle you?"

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**a/n: I hope you enjoyed the second chapter. Please leave a review and tell me what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

"No," said Red.

"No?" repeated Elesa in disbelief.

"No," Red affirmed.

"Aw! Why not?" Skyla asked.

"Because," murmured Red. "I don't want to."

Cynthia smirked. "What's wrong? Scared 'Lesa'll beat ya?"

Red raised an eyebrow but wasn't swayed. "I've almost never lost a battle. That's not what I'm worried about, even if I only have Cam and 'Nir with me."

Caitlin cut in, now dressed in a simple pale pink winter dress, "I'm sure if we're careful we can avoid damaging anything too badly." When Red looked surprised, she continued. "That's why you refused the challenge, right?"

"Er, yeah," she replied running her fingers through her hair. "The cave's pretty big, but I don't think it can take a full scale battle."

"Oh, oh, then why don't we have the battle outside?" exclaimed Skyla. The other four females raised an eyebrow at her and, as if to emphasize the point, the wind outside howled viciously with the promise of frostbite.

"…Maybe when the weather warms up a little," drawled Red. "I'm used to Mount Silver but, I doubt you guys would want to stand out there for an entire battle." She yawned. _Sleepy…_

"Heh heh, yeah, you're probably right."

"You guys can let your Pokémon out though. I know Cam and 'Nir hate being in their balls for too long and there's probably enough room… unless one of you has a Wailord or something…"

They released three Pokémon each.

"Grace us with your presence!" Caitlin released a large steel spider Red recognized as a Metagross. It stared at Red for a moment before rumbling in greeting and positioning itself so Caitlin could sit on top of it. A strange floating creature surrounded in some sort of blue-green membrane floated happily around its trainer chirping jovially. A tall humanoid Pokémon with black body adorned with several large white bows was the psychic type master's final Pokémon. It took in its surroundings quietly before nodding at the garnet-eyed trainer.

"Let's weave a fantastic tale, you three!" Shauntal released her own Pokémon, each giving off a ghostly aura. The first was a large voodoo doll like ghost with a zipper for a mouth. It grinned a sinister smile at Red, giving an energetic cry of "Banette!" Shauntal's second Pokémon looked like a coffin. The Pokémon master stared at it in confusion, thinking, _A… sarcophagus? _ It suddenly produced four gas like arms that reached towards her and a grinning face appeared on its surface. It produced a creepy moaning sound for a moment, but frowned when it failed to scare Red who simply watched it curiously. The bookish elite four's final Pokemon was a floating pink jellyfish, for lack of a better description. It floated gracefully in mid-air, observing Red from its position next to Shauntal.

"Time to take the stage!" Elesa's Pokemon were all completely foreign to Red. The first was a small black, white, and yellow Pokémon, reminiscent of a Pikachu if not for the fact that it could fly. It flew a small circle around the blonde bombshell before landing gracefully on her shoulder. The next Pokémon reminded Red of Blue's Arcanine but slimmer and darker. It sat next to Elesa obediently, fixing Red with a cool stare. Her last Pokémon was strange. If she didn't know Elesa worked with electric types, Red would have assumed it was a water-type, maybe ground. It was serpent shaped and floated off the ground and released a cry of "Electross!" as the golden spots on its body flashed with electrical energy.

"Hit the skies, guys!" Skyla released three flying-type Pokémon. The first was huge and powerful looking. It had a white crest, an impressive wingspan and its body was adorned with thick red and blue covering its body. It stood next to Skyla reaching her shoulder easily; it gave a proud cry of "Braviary!" The next flying type looked like it was revived from a fossil. Its head was free of feathers and at the ends of its wings; there were claws that reminded Red more of a reptile than a bird. It head butted the flying Gym leader's side playfully. The final avian was a beautiful white-feathered bird that held its head high carrying a haughty air about it. It gave those around it a glance before giving what sounded like a scoff.

Red found herself yearning to reach for her Pokedex. It had been a long time since she met a new Pokémon and here she was, surrounded by at least eleven. Mjolnir and Cameron decided to join her, leaving Cynthia's Garchomp to nap by the fire. The two stood behind Red, regarding each Pokémon with cold stares. After a moment, the Pikachu lost its stern look and gave a welcoming coo and the Charizard huffed lazily, nodding. Star struck, Red simply said, "Wow…"

Shauntal giggled, "She seems impressed." She noticed Cynthia watching Red interact with the new Pokémon, a small smile pulling at her lips. "And, so do you, Cynthy."

Cynthia started, her blush returning. "What? Uh, I-"

Caitlin and Shauntal both gave her huge Gengar grins. "Cynthy's got a crush~! Cynthy's got a crush~!" they chanted. Skyla and Elesa joined in. Cynthia's blush deepened and she found herself thankful that Red was too distracted with the Pokémon to pay attention.

"You guys!"

Skyla tossed her arm over the blonde champion's shoulder, laughing. "Awww, you don't have to be so embarrassed Cynthia!"

Shauntal's grin didn't fade. "Yeah, it's totally fine! Just admit it. You think she's cuuuute~!"

"Hey!"

The four turned away, laughing amongst each other.

"See how hard she's blushing?"

"I haven't seen anyone so red since that time Lance had to battle that kid in his underwear!"

"Guys!"

"Oh, and when they bumped noses earlier! That was super cute!"

"Guys!"

They burst into more roaring laughter as Cynthia held her face in her hands.

"Um," came Red's quiet voice. They turned towards her. She was sitting on the cave floor surrounded by the Pokémon. Her hair was significantly more fluffed than it was before and she had her arms wrapped around Caitlin's Reinculus as it made happy sounding hums. Her eyes shined in child-like wonderment. "Can you tell me what all these Pokémon are?"

Cynthia could hardly contain herself from engulfing the red-eyed Pokémon master in a bear hug. Her face took on a pink tint and he four behind her exchanged knowing grins. They walked over to Red and shooting Cynthia amused looks, plopped down around Red. "Sure!" they chorused.

Red was slightly uncomfortable. The four were invading her personal space. They weren't really strangers anymore, in fact, she found herself more or less used to their presence even after only knowing them for a few hours. Even so, she probably wouldn't be so tolerant of it if her own Pokemon and Cynthia were nearby.

The Sinnoh league champion, on the other hand, never felt so grumpy as she watched her friends practically smother Red under the guise of introducing their Pokémon to her. Her eyebrow twitched as Elesa earned a smile by guiding Red's hand to pet her Luxray's mane. She frowned as Shauntal got her to grin by explaining the legends surrounding Cofagrigus. Caitlin joined Red in cuddling the Reinculus as Cynthia scowled. Cynthia was burning up when she saw Skyla hug the dark haired girl after showing off her Swanna's special ability.

Sinnoh's strongest trainer had had enough with that and strode over to the group, smiling warmly at Red and shooting the other four a withering glare. They shrunk back with nervous smiles.

"Red, I forgot to tell you. I got a new Pokemon! Do you want to see her?" Red's crimson eyes lit up again and she nodded happily. Cynthia pulled a Cherish Ball from her belt and said, "Come on out, Weiss!" There was a flash of light and a pale icy fox sat at Cynthia's feet yipping playfully.

"Oh, wow, a shiny Glaceon!" Red exclaimed, the loudest she had been the entire time. She reached out and held her hand out to it. The Glaceon pounced on it, nipping playfully. Red giggled quietly and played with the little eeveelution, distracted again. Cynthia crossed her arms proudly as she looked back at Unova natives. They merely grinned back, wiggling their eyebrows knowingly. Cynthia realized what they did and hid her blush in her hands again.

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**a/n: I bet you thought there would be a battle this chapter. The joke here is that Cynthia likes Red and our favorite Pokemon master doesn't spend enough time around humans to recognize it. Red may be unbeatable but she really doesn't leave Mount Silver too much. That's also the reason most of the Pokemon mentioned this chapter are completely foreign to her. Fun fact: everyone's Pokemon are ones they have been confirmed to use in the games. Another fun fact: I'm not really used to writing dialogue between like six character's at once so if the conversations seem kind of awkward or disjointed, that would be why. Next chapter is probably gonna have a bit of disturbing content involving Team Rocket, so I'll give you a little heads up now. There may be a little blood and death. **

**Please leave a review and tell me what you think! Criticism is appreciated, as well!**


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n: Light gore ahead.**

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_Red cradled her exhausted Charmander in her arms as she ran through the pitch-black caverns. Cameron was her only viable Pokemon. Mjolnir, the Pikachu. Unable to battle. Red Baron, the Pidgey. Unable to battle. Ali, the Mankey. Unable to battle. And, Dusk, the Butterfree… she could only hope she could get to the Pokémon center in time. The ten year old forced her legs, sprinkled with scrapes, to move faster, her breath coming out in soft pants as she sprinted through dark. _

_She had come to Mount Moon to train her party before her battle with the water gym leader at Cerulean City. She had been a bit apprehensive, but, her Pokémon's confidence was infectious. And armed with a few potions, her beloved party, and Mjolnir's flash, she stepped off Mount Moon's straight trail to Cerulean City and into the caves, where wild Pokémon and upstart young trainer's like herself awaited. At first, it was easy. Most of the wild Pokémon they met were Zubats. A well-placed thunder shock, confusion, or ember sent them packing. Ali's low kick took care of the Geodude and occasional Clefairy they ran into and Red Baron's gust obliterated the plentiful array Paras. The trainers were no real challenge either, but they offered many opportunities to practice battle strategies. _

_Eventually, she met a fossil maniac in the deepest part of the caverns. He was a bit eccentric and defensive about the two fossils he had found, but after a battle, he agreed to let her have one. She took the helix fossil and thanked him but as they turned to leave about ten people dressed in black stormed in. _

_They called themselves Team Rocket and claimed to be Pokémon thieves. One of them demanded they hand over their Pokémon and the fossils. The fossil maniac refused, saying that the fossils were there and Red refused because her team were her precious friends. The group laughed at them. They sent out scores of Pokemon. Angry-looking Rattata, Ekans, and Zubats, mainly. They were easily defeated, when the battle started but, then the fossil maniacs Pokémon all got knocked out and her own team was beginning to falter. Eventually, she had to recall all but Cameron and Dusk. Red, saw the maniac charge in to protect his friends as she and her two remaining Pokémon were being pressed back by the waves of enemies. He got into a fist-fight and while she was distracted, Dusk was hit by a critical hit from a Rattata's crunch attack. She was badly hurt. The child prodigy quickly recalled her, disturbed by her friend's prone form. She scooped up her Charmander who was on the verge of fainting, but was still valiantly breathing out embers and dealing blows with metal claw. _

_She opened her mouth to call out to her new friend. There was a strangled cry. The fossil maniac stood unmoving for a moment, blood leaking heavily from a cut in his neck, before falling to the ground unmoving. The Rocket he was fighting held a knife in his hand, snickering as he stared down at the corpse. Red stared in shock, mouth open wide. She had never seen so much blood. It took a hard bite on the hand from Cameron to get her moving. _

_She turned, sprinting through the darkness, unable to scream out of sheer horror. _

_Cameron shifted in her arms as she ran, barely a comfort as she heard the Rockets' and their Pokémon's footsteps hot on her tracks. Then, the worst thing that could have possibly happened, happened. She tripped. She twisted so she wouldn't squish her friend, landing on her side, scratching up her already injured legs. Her head hit the cold hard cave floor and in a dazzled, fleeting moment she found herself wishing she hadn't thought shorts were so comfortable and easy to wear when she started her journey. _

_The Rockets were in front of her now and she scrambled backwards, clutching Cameron tightly to her chest. He was much braver than her, growling and snarling as his trainer couldn't even bring herself to scream. Red's eyes widened as her back hit solid rock. The man, no, monster, with the knife loomed over her, his cronies surrounding her as well. They said something about witnesses and the man with the knife grinned, baring the fangs of an Arbok and the shining eyes of a rabid Raticate. Pulling his hand back, preparing to stab her he laughed; a terrible, screeching sound, like a thousand Zubat's cries. There was a blinding flash of crimson light and the sound of flesh being pierced. All the young trainer could smell was blood. Red closed her eyes and released a scream. _

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Pokémon Master Red woke up screaming, bathed in a cold. She sat bolt upright, garnet eyes, blind with shock, scanning the dark room wildly as the other five women awoke in shock. She thrashed at the would be soothing hand touching her arm. Half rolling half clambering off the pile of blankets, she struggled to escape whoever was touching her. She would have scrambled directly into the fire pit in her haste to get away, if not for Mjolnir bringing her to her senses with a rather powerful thunderbolt.

Her breaths came out in pants as she regained her sense of reality. She took a deep breath and held it. Mjolnir and Cameron came to stand by her, both vocalizing their concern. She slowly forced her body to stand up, running her palm across her face, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. She stiffened when a hand again rested on her shoulder. A familiar voice called out. "Red? Are you okay? What happened?" came the rush of questions. Cynthia.

But, Red, couldn't talk. She was still on the verge of tears. That terrible laugh still echoed in her ears. The horrid sound of the man gurgling on his own blood. Instead, she shrugged off the warm hand, the words, "I'm fine," tumbled haphazardly from her lips as she scooped up her jacket and rushed out of the cave and into the frigid night on top of Mount Silver. She ignored the concerned voices calling her back to the cave. She knew Cameron and Mjolnir wouldn't let them pursue her. Both the Charizard and the Pikachu understood. Red needed to be alone. She needed to think. She would never get back to sleep with the memory still replaying in her head. The top of Mount Silver may have been icy and blizzard battered, but it was the perfect place to be alone. She shivered as the blizzard raged on over her head and began to climb to Silver Peak.

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**a/n: Red's nightmare flashback thing isn't really as scary as I'd like, in my opinion. I'll probably expand upon it in future chapters. And, yes, Red is, in fact, climbing a mountain in a blizzard. She'll be fine she's used to it. She'd have to be having lived on Mount Silver for like 9 years.**

**Thank you for reading! Please leave a review and tell me how I did. Criticism is welcomed.**


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n: Light gore, again.**

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Back in Red's humble abode, Cameron and Mjolnir were holding Cynthia back in the cave. Elesa, Shauntal, Skyla, and Caitlin stood a little back, drowsy and confused; they watched as Cynthia tried to force her way past the bulky red dragon only to find that Cameron would not be moved. Mjolnir settled for glaring at the Sinnoh champion in hopes of warding her off.

"There's a blizzard out there! Let me go get her! Or at least you go get her!" Cameron merely snorted a plume of smoke in her face in response, a clear 'no.' She growled back at him and he met her glare unfazed.

"Really, Cynthia," sighed Caitlin. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Chu!"

The dragon tamer shot the psychic master an icy stare as the wind howled outside. Caitlin wisely decided to keep quiet. Cynthia tried to push past the Pokémon master's loyal companions again. They refused to budge and pushed her back. They wouldn't dare hurt Cynthia, of course. She was one of the few human's Red called "friend". One could even say the Sinnoh champion was just as close to Red as Blue was. That was part of the reason they couldn't let her follow their master. The steep , icy slopes of Mount Silver were dangerous enough to a novice during the summer, let alone during a blizzard at the peak of winter. The dragon and mouse didn't even want to imagine their trainer's face if Cynthia was harmed trying to follow her.

Mjolnir and Cameron were almost moved by the blonde's desperation. They were giving her looks that would cow a rampaging Steelix , but were met with an even colder glare. Mjolnir had to suppress the urge to hide behind his larger companion. Even the other four humans seemed wary of Cynthia's angry concern. Cynthia's glare intensified when Mjolnir prevented her from squeezing past, standing in her path with cheeks sparking with powerful electricity. "Why?" she gritted out.

Cameron and Mjolnir exchanged a look. _Because Red wants to be alone. Because she'd hate herself you got hurt trying to get to her, _they wanted to say. Of course, Cynthia wouldn't be able to understand. Trainers could only understand Pokémon they'd been traveling with for ages. Red could understand almost all Pokemon, with a bit of effort after an unfortunate incident, but she was an exception. They settled for shaking their heads. If only Red's Espeon was with them to use telekinesis.

Mjolnir perked up and looked towards the small group Cynthia had brought with them. The sleepy girl dressed in pink had psychic types! He chirped his plan at the fire dragon that was locked in a stare down with Cynthia. Cameron hummed in response before nodding.

Cynthia tried to take the opportunity to lunge past the fire-drake but Cameron did something unexpected. He scooped her up in his claws as Mjolnir trotted over to the other four trainers who were watching the spectacle with tired curiosity.

Cynthia was livid, sputtering angry threats. She was ignored, however, as the Pikachu darted up to Caitlin hopping and flailing his arms. "Chu! Pikapikachu! Chupikapi!" he cried, frantically trying to communicate. His words were lost on the Psychic Elite as she simply tilted her head and watched him.

"Is there something you need, little guy?"

The yellow mouse stopped his flailing and gave her a dry look before responding with an irritated "Chu!" He waved his paws at Caitlin's Pokeball belt, chirping all the while. He was met with another confused stare. If a Pikachu could facepalm, that's what Mjolnir was doing. He settled for simply retrieving the 'balls himself. Dragging the belt back with him, he plopped it in her lap. "Pi," he said pointedly.

"Oh!" Caitlin exclaimed. "That's what you wanted?"

Now Cameron gave her a withering look, as well, nursing his snout. Apparently, while everyone was distracted by Caitlin's interaction with Mjolnir, Cynthia had managed to land a hit on his nose, causing him to release her in shock. As he cradled his muzzle she managed to bowl him over and bolt from the cave.

The four trainers looked on befuddled as the Charizard and Pikachu hung their heads in defeat.

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Cynthia felt like she might freeze to death. The winds crashed into her chilling her to the bone, as she followed her Glaceon up the side of the stark mountain Red called home. While the tiny ice fox seemed to thrive in the cold snow, Cynthia's fingers were already aching with cold and her face felt raw from the harsh gales that slammed against the mountain. In fact, the moment she stepped out from the warm cave and her signature black coat failed to weaken the icy winds, she wanted to turn back. The only thing driving her forward was the look on Red's face as she fled out into the blizzard. She grimaced at the thought. The coal haired girl's garnet eyes shined with barely concealed horror and unshed tears. Cynthia had no idea what her nightmare could have been about, but to drive the girl to such raw terror that she almost flung herself into the firepit…

Cynthia shook her head and forced herself to move faster. The sooner she could catch up to Red, the better. As her Glaceon guided her, its nose pressed to the frozen earth, she thought, '_Don't cry, Red. I'm coming!'_

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Red lied on her back, watching thick snowflakes drift down from the dark gray sky. She breathed out a sigh as she closed her eyes, ignoring the icy cold leaking through her coat into her back. Splashes of crimson and flashes of light danced across her vision. She flinched and stared up at the sky again, sitting up. The cold pricked at her skin and her nose was beginning to hurt, but, _Anything's better than that heat, _she thought. She sniffed and looked around her. Silver Peak, contrary to popular belief, was relatively flat, about as wide as a football field and perfect for holding the largest of battles. More importantly, its altitude, frigid temperatures, and the dangerous, confusing pathway to it made it nearly impossible for people to reach it without her knowing. It was the perfect place to sit in solitude.

Closing her eyes again, she let her mind wander, hoping to keep all thoughts of that horrible memory at bay. They strayed there occasionally but, Red managed to shake them off. Eventually, she tried battle strategies, a past time that had always relaxed her. _Cynthia and Dune. Cameron and me. Sunny Day. Solar Beam? Too obvious. Smoke Screen. Dodge Stone Edge. Flamethrower? Not effective. Metal Claw? No. Air Slash. Good…_ She kept up this train of thought, playing out a mock battle in her head. She had never won a one-on-one with Cameron against Cynthia's Garchomp. Her brow furrowed as every strategy she came up with ended with Cameron falling to a well-placed Stone Edge or Dragon Rush.

The familiar rhythm of battle, despite it being imaginary, began to put her to sleep again, like a lullaby.

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'…_**What?' **__thought Red, thoroughly confused. She peered around, finding herself sitting on the hard earth in some sort of cave. __**'How did I get here?'**__ An unfamiliar exhaustion weighed down her limbs as she stood. Standing still, she listened for the telltale sound of wind blowing through the cave's exit as she had done so many times in the past. She opened her eyes again a foreboding feeling shooting down her spine. She couldn't hear anything other than the occasional sounds of cave Pokémon and her own breathing. She reached for her belt with the intention of calling out Mjolnir to use flash. Her belt was empty. _

_Panic lanced through her heart like a knife. She felt again. Still empty. She began to shuffle towards what she hoped was a wall. She tripped over something soft as she went, sending herself sprawling in the cold stone floor, which was covered in something damp and sticky. She felt along towards the thing she stumbled over. She touched cloth first. Hoping it was her backpack, she felt along for the opening. She froze as she felt the familiar sensation of the cloth being replaced by fake fur, dampened with the same sticky substance as what covered the ground. _

_Red whimpered in the darkness as suddenly her vision adjusted to the darkness. She had tripped over Cynthia who lay stiff and dead, a knife in her heart. She screamed. _

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The tiny fox nudged her trainer as she paused to regain her energy. Cynthia had just reached the top of Mount Silver thanks to the guidance of Weiss, her Glaceon, when Red's scream rang out, filled with agony and terror. The blonde raced across the field and reached the Pokémon master just as her scream tapered off and dissolved into whimpering. Red was lying on her side curled into a ball, her garnet eyes wide and unseeing as she trembled. Cynthia peered down at her, steel grey eyes glimmering with concern. Red seemed almost catatonic, not even responding to her own name.

"Red," called Cynthia gently. She didn't want to touch the other girl, lest she fly into a full blown panic like she did before "Red, look at me. It's alright." No response. "Red, please. It's Cynthia, just look at me, okay?"

This seemed to rouse the other girls as suddenly she fixed Cynthia with a wild red-eyed stare. Cynthia breathed out a sigh of relief. Red continued to stare at her for a few more seconds before fresh tears pooled and she lunged towards the Sinnoh champion, engulfing her in a fierce hug. Cynthia was shocked but wrapped her arms around the girl who was trying to hold back a sob.

"_Cynthia."_

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**a/n: Guess who had another nightmare~!**

**As always please enjoy and feel free to leave a review. Criticism and comments are appreciated.**


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